That ship has sailed

Lucius comes across the coin again at the end of his work day, when he is counting his money. This time, he notices a different detail in the background: the stern of a ship.

Most of the grain in Rome was imported from Northern Africa and Egypt, because the soil there was so fertile. The grain was shipped in large cargo ships and unloaded in the harbor of Ostia, near Rome. Nero often refers to the harbor of Ostia on his coins, as can be seen on the coin depicted above. This is likely because a new harbor at Ostia had only just been completed during his reign. The old river harbor had long been unable to cope with the immense needs of the people of Rome, counting around 1 million at this time. The huge grain ships were supposed to be safe in the new harbor of Ostia, but in the year 62 there was a violent storm in which about 200 ships sank.Tacitus XV, 18.2. 200 ships might not seem like much, when you imagine that more than 4000 boatloads of grain were shipped to Rome every year. G.E. Rickmann, The Grain Trade under the Roman Empire (1980) 263 and 267. However, the grain was of course measured precisely beforehand, and the loss of 5% was possibly enough to cause problems to the Annona, because 5% feeds 7500 people. The fear is that grain scarcity can lead to revolts. Therefore, grain must either be rationed or imported elsewhere, as was apparently the case here.

Lucius suddenly gets really nervous - maybe something has happened to the ships and if he does not hurry, he will not get his grain! He gathers his coins and runs out.